Matches to Make After UFC on Fuel TV 6

It could be argued that Cung Le the mixed
martial artist has spent more time as a sideshow than a proven
commodity; his entertaining style was offset by his lack of
complete commitment to the sport as a budding film career drew his
attention away from the cage.

That perception may have forever changed on Saturday, when he
knocked out former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight
titleholder Rich Franklin
in the
UFC on Fuel TV 6 main event at the CotaiArena in Macau, China.
With “Ace” on the attack, Le countered a leg kick with a crippling
right hook that sent the unconscious Franklin crashing to the
canvas 2:17 into the first round.

It was a defining moment for the likable Le, who touched down in
the UFC late last year after a successful stint in Strikeforce that
included a memorable rivalry with Frank
Shamrock and a brief reign as middleweight champion. A
technical knockout loss to Wanderlei
Silva in his promotional debut at UFC
139 had plenty questioning his place inside the Octagon. Did he
belong? The question was answered in resounding fashion when Le’s
clenched right fist connected with Franklin’s exposed jaw.

Still, at 40, Le comes with a limited shelf life, so the UFC will
need to move quickly if it wants to capitalize on his upward
trajectory. The Sanshou stylist does not figure to pose a serious
threat to top-tier middleweights, but he could be quite the handful
for the rest of the fighters who populate the 185-pound
division.

Former Bellator Fighting Championships titleholder Hector
Lombard will answer the bell against leg lock connoisseur
Rousimar
Palhares at
UFC on FX 6 in December, the winner emerging as a logical next
opponent for Le. Lombard had his 20-fight winning streak snapped
against Tim Boetsch at
UFC
149 in July, while Palhares finds himself on the rebound
following a humbling defeat to Alan
Belcher.

Rich Franklin
vs. Tim
Kennedy: After 37 professional appearances, 20 of them
inside the UFC, Franklin may have a date with retirement. What else
does he have left to accomplish? Let us assume for discussion’s
sake that the 38-year-old trudges onward with his career. Few
matchups make sense for a fighter of his stature, though Zuffa
brass could conceivably use him to introduce some Strikeforce
talent set to join the fold. Kennedy twice fought for the
middleweight crown in Strikeforce and figures to bolster the UFC’s
185-pound ranks when he arrives.

D.
Mandel

Thiago Silva got back on track at
205 at UFC on Fuel TV 6.

Thiago Silva
vs. Jimi
Manuwa: Silva outlasted previously unbeaten Bulgarian
Stanislav
Nedkov, securing a fight-ending arm-triangle choke in the third
round of their co-main event. Even in victory, his first in more
than three years, the Brazilian looked nothing like the man who
once struck fear in his opponents. Manuwa entered the Octagon with
plenty of hype and lived up to his billing at
UFC on Fuel TV 5 in September, demolishing Kyle
Kingsbury over the course of two rounds. He has finished all 12
of his foes, nine of them inside one round.

Dong Hyun
Kim vs. Rory
MacDonald-B.J. Penn
winner: Kim wants a rematch with 2007 Abu Dhabi Combat
Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist
Demian
Maia, the man who defeated him by injury-related technical
knockout at UFC
147. No one would argue with a settle-the-score sequel between
the two, but after his one-sided trouncing of Paulo Thiago,
perhaps Kim should aim a little higher on the 170-pound totem pole.
MacDonald, whom many view as an heir apparent to longtime
welterweight king Georges St.
Pierre, will collide with a former two-division champion in
Penn at UFC
on Fox 5 next month in Seattle.

John Lineker
vs. Darren
Uyenoyama: The flyweight division has yet to plant
deep roots in the UFC, as the promotion works to incorporate its
125-pounders. Lineker has engaged in memorable battles in each of
his first two appearances inside the Octagon, pairing a granite
chin with an aggressive, crowd-pleasing style. Just 22 years old,
the Brazilian has rattled off 14 victories in his past 15 fights.
Uyenoyama continues to fly under the radar despite a string of
three consecutive wins that include a unanimous verdict over
Japanese star Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto. The 33-year-old submitted
Phil
Harris with a second-round rear-naked choke at UFC
on FX 5 in October.

Takeya
Mizugaki vs. Mike
Easton-Bryan
Caraway winner: Mizugaki has alternated between wins
and losses in his last 10 outings but remains a difficult
proposition for anyone at 135 pounds. The 28-year-old former WEC
title contender had no problem dispatching Jeff Hougland
by unanimous decision, as he consolidated repeated takedowns with
heavy ground-and-pound and airtight submission defense. Easton and
Caraway will do battle on Dec. 8 in Seattle; the two bantamweights
having combined for 11 straight wins between them.